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Larson Delivers Generational Masterclass in Xfinity Series Race at Bristol

DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 03: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, poses with the winner sticker on his car in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on September 03, 2023 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Bryan Aguiar

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Royal T Grafix

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What’s Happening?

Kyle Larson put on a show on Saturday night’s Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. After starting from the pole, the Hendrick Motorsports driver won the second stage, led 277 of the 300 laps, earned the fastest lap, and won the race at Bristol over a trio of JRM drivers. Larson’s 277 laps are the second most a driver has ever led at a single event at the racetrack, only behind Joey Logano’s 2015 run, when he led all 300 laps.

This is Larson’s 16th career Xfinity Series victory, which ties him with Jeff Green and Joe Nemechek for 21st All-Time.

Race Info

Pole Sitter: Kyle Larson #17 [15.194s]
Outside Pole: Connor Zilisch #88 [15.272s]
Drivers to the Rear: Retzlaff, Eckes, Maggio (unapproved adjustments)
DNQ: Tyler Tomassi #66
Laps: 300 Laps | 160 Miles
Stage 1: 85 Laps
Stage 2: 85 Laps
Final Stage: 130 Laps
Fuel Window: 160 Laps
Pit Road Speed: 30 MPH
Broadcast: CW Network – Justin Alexander, Jamie McMurray, Parker Kligerman
Green Flag was at 5:12 pm EST

Race Recap and Overview

First stage

The race began with complete domination from Kyle Larson, who started on the pole and led all the first 77 laps before the first caution, which we will discuss shortly. Larson had a 5-second lead over Justin Allgaier and a 10-second lead over third-place Connor Zilisch before that caution flag. Larson lapped all but 12 cars during the first stage. Despite that, the late caution split strategies, and Larson finished third after Sam Mayer and Ryan Sieg stayed out for the stage points. Sam Mayer won the first stage.

The caution on lap 76, which turned into a red flag, started with contact between the 26 of Dean Thompson and Sheldon Creed on the 00. Creed spun off turn 4 and avoided contact, but Brennan Poole struck him. The crash destroyer both cars, but especially Poole’s. His suspension came off the car, and the right side was shattered. When asked if he was ok, Poole replied on the radio: “I don’t know, I don’t know. My ribs hurt.” Both drivers got out of their cars by themselves. They were interviewed afterward and were feeling alright.

“Looks like the 26 just spun the 00. I was already back in the gas by the time I heard “check up”. When I saw the 00, I started to spin out and nailed him… Just the wrong place at the wrong time.” – Brennan Poole

“I’m fine, big hit and it knocked the air out of me… The 26 was better than me in the moment … the 26 got me just enough to spin me out there.” – Sheldon Creed

Stage 1 Results:

1st. Sam Mayer #1
2nd. Ryan Sieg #39
3rd. Kyle Larson #17
4th. Sammy Smith #8
5th. Justin Allgaier #7
6th. Connor Zilisch #88
7th. Nick Sanchez #48
8th. Jesse Love #2
9th. Carson Kvapil #1
10th. Brandon Jones #20

Second Stage

Kyle Larson cycled back to the race lead after Sam Mayer and Ryan Sieg pitted following the stage 1 end caution. Larson led every lap to win the second stage, lapping every driver up to 11th place. He won the stage by half a track length over Justin Allgaier.

Stage 2 Results:

1st. Kyle Larson #17
2nd. Justin Allgaier #7
3rd. Sammy Smith #8
4th. Carson Kvapil #1
5th. Connor Zilisch #88
6th. Jesse Love #2
7th. Brandon Jones #20
8th. Corey Heim #24
9th. William Sawalich #18
10th. Sam Mayer #41

Final Stage

Justin Allgaier had a better restart than Kyle Larson and took the lead away from Larson for the first time during the race, but after a few laps, Larson forced his way past Allgaier, bumping him out of the way for the lead. There was a caution for the #45 spinning on the frontstretch, but that did not affect the outcome of the race.

Larson went on to win the race by 2.054 seconds over Carson Kvapil.

Race Results

1st. Kyle Larson #17
2nd. Carson Kvapil #1
3rd. Justin Allgaier #7
4th. Sammy Smith #8
5th. Brandon Jones #20
6th. Jesse Love #2
7th. Ryan Sieg #39
8th. Corey Heim #24
9th. Christian Eckes #16
10th. Dean Thompson #26
11th. Sam Mayer #41
12th. Connor Zilisch #88
13th. Daniel Dye #10
14th. Josh Williams #11
15th. Anthony Alfredo #42
16th. Nick Sanchez #48
17th. Justin Bonsignore #18
18th. Parker Retzlaff #4
19th. Taylor Gray #54
20th. Jeremy Clements #51
21st. Jeb Burton #27
22nd. Kyle Sieg #28
23rd. Matt DiBenedetto #99
24th. Austin Hill #21
25th. Mason Massey #45
26th. Harrison Burton #15
27th. Ryan Ellis #71
28th. Thomas Annunziata #70
29th. Garrett Smithley #14
30th. Blaine Perkins #31
31st. Kris Wright #5
32nd. Greg Van Alst #35
33rd. CJ McLaughlin #91
34th. William Sawalich #18
35th. Alex Labbe #07
36th. Brennan Poole #44
37th. Sheldon Creed #00
38th. Mason Maggio #53

Race Highlights

  • Kyle Larson dominates stage 1 before the first caution
  • Sheldon Creed and Brennan Poole were involved in a scary crash, bringing out the first caution of the day on lap 76
  • Sam Mayer wins stage 1 after split strategies
  • Kyle Larson dominates and wins uneventful stage 2
  • Kyle Larson wins the race from the pole, leading the most laps and setting the fastest lap.
  • Fastest Lap: Kyle Larson [15.787]
  • Most Laps Led: Kyle Larson [277/300]

What did you think of the race? Let us know on our Discord or X. Also remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more updates.

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O’Reilly: Sammy Smith’s Flat Takes Out Heavy Hitters Late at EchoPark

by Cody Williams

What’s Happening?

As Ross Chastain took the lead and the pack was closing in on 20 laps to go, things a little deeper in the pack started to get a little hairy. We had yet another huge crash late in the running here tonight, this one sparked by Sammy Smith’s flat rear tire. Here’s what happened:

  • As the laps were winding down in tonight’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race, Sammy Smith, along with his JRM teammates, were in the thick of contention for the win. Unfortunately for him, a poorly-timed flat rear tire ended his (and several others) chance to capitalize and get that first valuable win of the season. Unable to hold onto it, the No. 8 Pilot Chevy spun around in front of a massive horde of cars.
  • Helpless to go anywhere, several heavy hitters were caught up in this incident. They include the likes of William Sawalich, Gio Ruggiero, Patrick Staropoli, Taylor Gray, Brennan Poole, Nick Leitz, and Lavar Scott.
  • It’s an unfortunate beginning of the year for a handful of these drivers. Luckily for Brennan Poole, he’s coming off a strong showing at Daytona and was in the thick of it here tonight. That shows some promise for sure.

What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

O’Reilly: Mid-Race Report from EchoPark Speedway

by Cody Williams

What’s Happening?

It has been a tail of two races when it comes to today’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at EchoPark Speedway (formerly the Atlanta Motor Speedway). We got off to a rough start with Corey Day triggering a massive wreck that took out the likes of Harrison Burton, and the Sieg brothers. Then, the field settled in and started to churn laps. Here’s what’s gone down so far.

  • Sam Mayer led a bulk of the opening laps. Leading the first 23 laps of the race, he was forced to pit on Lap 24 due to a flat left front tire. No caution was triggered. To make matters worse, he was caught speeding on pit road, putting him down several laps and effectively taking him out of contention.
  • Jesse Love continued RCR’s dominance in the first stage. With Mayer out of the picture, he assumed the race lead, leading 31 laps to win the opening stage.
  • Austin Hill finally made it up to the race lead by Stage 2. Unfortunately for him and RCR, their win streak in the stages ended with the conclusion of Stage 2. It was Rajah Caruth in the No. 88 HendrickCars.com Chevy that captured the green and white checkered flag.
  • In a horrific accident during pit stops, Taylor Gray smashed into one of his tire carriers. It was a scary situation. Fortunately, he got up like a champ and completed the stop. He was thankfully checked and released from the in-field care center.
  • Corey Day’s woes continued as the field set in for the final stage of the evening. Drawing further criticism, Day, while battling for the race lead, made contact with leader Carson Kvapil, sending them both into the outside wall. Also collected in the incident was Kvapil’s teammate, the 2024 series champion, Justin Allgaier.

What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

O’Reilly: Corey Day Triggers Big Wreck Early at EchoPark Speedway

by Cody Williams

What’s Happening?

After a mild start to the afternoon with a rather tame Truck Series race, it didn’t take long for things to get wild in Atlanta. Racing for a top 10 spot, Corey Day tried to squeeze his nose into an opening where it wouldn’t fit. As a result, a massive wreck broke out along the frontstretch. Here’s what went down.

  • Corey Day looked unstable from the jump as he was racing in the middle of the pack. He was able to work his way up to just outside the top 10. Around him, Ryan Sieg got a huge run. Now realizing that the No. 39 was beside him, Day turned him straight into the outside SAFER Barrier.
  • This caused a huge multi-car incident which collected the likes of Ryan Sieg’s brother, Kyle, Harrison Burton, and Blaine Perkins, who was coming off a top 10 run at Daytona.
  • Understandably, Ryan Sieg was very upset over the radio. He did suffer a brutally hard impact. In his radio communication, he heavily criticized Corey Day, stating that every week he’s in the middle of some sort of on-track incident.
  • Sieg is also the owner of his and his brother’s cars. This will be a tough one to swallow at the office next week.

What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.